Income instability and child maltreatment: Exploring associations and mechanisms

Income instability is an aspect of having a low-income that likely has unique implications for child maltreatment. The unpredictable nature of frequent changes in economic resources may add additional stress and strain to families already experiencing significant financial stress, which could increase risk for abuse and neglect. Work has begun to examine the relationship between income instability and child and family outcomes, but limited work has focused on the association between frequent income instability and child maltreatment. The current study begins to address this gap in the literature by examining the association of income instability and child maltreatment in a sample of low-income families deflected from Child Protective Services. Mediation analyses are conducted to investigate potential mechanisms of this association (e.g., stress, parenting, maladaptive behaviors). Findings indicate income instability significantly increases risk for child maltreatment, beyond the influence of income level. Substance abuse partially mediates this relationship. Implications of findings are discussed.